If Santa Barbara wanted to win its opening game in the gold division at the Tournament of Champions, it was going to have play some blue-collar basketball.
The Dons packed their lunch pails and showed they can play a gritty, physical game in beating Pacifica 56-53 on Monday at J.R. Richards Gym.
Zoe Echternecht scored the go-ahead basket following a teammate’s blocked shot with a minute to go and Tess Emerson sank two free throws with 12.6 seconds left for the final margin.
Desirea Coleman gets around her defender for a short jump shot
Tess Emerson scored a team-high 22 points for the Dons to go with seven rebounds.
But the result wasn’t secured until sophomore guard Ivette Gil scrambled on the floor and tied up a Pacifica player on a inbounds play with 2.5 seconds to go.
Earlier, Gil made a big defensive play when the Dons led by one, 54-53. She stepped into the lane and drew a charging foul against Pacifica’s star player Carolyn Overton with 45 seconds left.
The Dons will next play Mira Costa in Tuesday’s quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. Mira Costa advanced by beating Agoura 65-58 in overtime.
Besides her clutch defensive plays, Gil scored 20 points, 14 of them coming in the first half.
“It’s so exciting,” Emerson said about Gil’s performance. “I’m so proud of her. She had a great game.”
Santa Barbara coach Andrew Butcher agreed.
“That was the best game she’s played this year,” Butcher said. “She was aggressive against their pressure. She has a tendency to be passive against pressure. Today, she was the opposite.”
The Pepperdine-bound Emerson enjoyed playing against Pacifica’s physical style.
“I like it,” she said with a smile. “Every point was a battle and I had to earn it, as well as my teammates. We had to earn every point we got, which is fun.”
Zoe Echternecht put in a huge fourth-quarter bucket.
Sylvia Hoover brings the ball upcourt.
Ivette Gil tallied 20 points on Monday
Emerson led all scorers with 22 points, 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter. She also had seven rebounds.
Overton, a talented and physical 5-10 guard-forward, paced Pacifica with 21 points, while 5-11 Brooke Dixon added 15 points.
Overton scored inside to give the Tritons a 51-48 lead with 3:45 left in the game
A Gil steal and assist to Emerson cut the Dons’ deficit to one and Emerson followed with another basket to put them ahead, 52-51.
Dixon scored on an offensive rebound to give the Tritons their last lead at 53-52.
Echternacht then came up with her big follow shot.
Echternacht was the Dons’ leading rebounder with nine.
“She’s our best help defender,” Butcher said of the 6-2 senior. “One of the reasons we did so well defending the post in the second half was because she was there willing to help.”
The Dons also got a good game from guard Sylvia Hoover. She had only two turnovers against Pacifica’s aggressive defense.
“That’s a good physical team,” Butcher said of Pacifica, the defending Pacific View League champions. “We played them in a fall league in Oxnard and they hammered us. They’re a good team. They’re strong and physical. That Oxnard league is great because the other teams just throw you on the ground. so you kind of know what to expect when you get in the game with them.
“That helped us (tonight). We handled it for the most part pretty well.”
In other Gold Division games Monday, top-seeded St. Joseph broke into the win column for the first time this season, whipping Newbury Park 65-40; Stockdale beat Brookswood Secondary of British Columbia, Canada, 66-59; Arroyo Grande topped Royal 61-41; Chaminade routed Clovis North 74-35; Buena edged Cathedral Catholic of San Diego 64-56, and Yorba Linda knocked off Yosemite 52-36.
In today’s other winners’ bracket games, St. Joseph plays Stockdale at 2:15; Yorba Linda faces Arroyo Grande at 4 p.m., and Buena meets Chaminade at 5:45.
Mira Costa 65, Mira Costa 58
Mira Costa overcame a last-second, game-tying 3-pointer by Agoura’s Kylie Cunningham at the end of regulation play and beat the Chargers in overtime.
Agoura missed its first three shots in the extra period, including a 3-on-1 fast break, and had 6-2 center Camille Mahlknecht foul out.
Mira Costa’s Kylie Nakamine made 6-of-6 free throws to help the Mustangs pull away.
Jenna Stephanoff scored 19 points, Nakamine 16 and Camille Mills 14 for Mira Costa.
Noam Leead led Agoura with 21 points.
St. Joseph 65, Newbury Park 40
Aly Beebe, who led the Knights to a CIF title last year, poured in 24 points to carry the Knights to their first win of the season.
Arroyo Grande 61, Royal 41
Maddie Carr led four Eagles in double figures with 16 points. Arroyo Grande broke open a two-point game at halftime by scoring the Highlanders 23-14 in the third quarter.
Stockdale 66, Brookswood 59
Emilee Parks hit four 3-pointers en route to 18 points to spark Stockdale.
Brittney Church and Katelyn Star scored 17 points each for the Bobcats.
Buena 64, Cathedral Catholic 56
Gonzaga-bound Keani Albanez torched the Dons for 27 points and teammate Taylor McGuire added 16.
Tess is really coming into her own. Ivette did a great job last night. GO DONS!